The SALTY awards

When I first started blogging CNY theater, I had to make a decision as to what I was going to write about. I quickly ruled out high school shows, due to the sheer amount of scheduling that would require.

So imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to discover that along with exceptionally short speeches (not counting mine; mine was freakishly long), the SALTY awards also featured performances from local high school actors, doing musical numbers from their school shows. It was kind of like a highlights reel of CNY youth theater, and that was undoubtedly my favorite part of the whole night.

Photo by Beth SchmidtCeremony director (and accessory soul mate) Heather Jensen-Hill was kind enough to pose with me for a photo prior to the show.

Interestingly, I was asked to present an award at this event, so I didn't start taking notes until well over halfway through the show, thinking that I'd just sit back and participate for once. But carrying any sort of paper and pen in my purse is always a temptation, and there was just so much good stuff going on. Here are the best of my notes, taken on my mapquested, anti-690 directions to the New Times Theatre:

"Moe and Behzad." Translated: The emcees for the evening, Moe Harrington and Behzad Dabu kept the crowd entertained with easy banter, multiple goofy costumes and corny jokes. (I confess I liked the superhero stuff the best.)

"Thanks, Kara." Translated: To a crusty old lady of 30, there is nothing funnier than an 18-year old starting a sentence with "Going back to my early years..."

SAY NO MORE! Translated: Response to Jon Wilson's "I'm a Capricorn. I need public adoration."

Side note: Jon Wilson is not only a smart and considerate director, but he's also fun at parties and looks good in spectacles. I adore him. Publicly.

And last, but certainly not least.

Jodie Baum is the smartest person on the planet. Translated: Presenter after presenter struggled with opening the envelopes holding the slip of paper announcing the winner. Some of us even ripped the envelopes in half rather than deal with trying to unseal them. Meanwhile - as Jodie pointed out to Sarah Naughton and me after we'd all presented our awards - in our other hand, there was a trophy engraved with the winner's name.

Completely eliminating the need for envelope-fumbling.

The woman is a bright, shiny light.

Mad shout-outs to Linda Lowen and Diane Wladis, to Roy George, for taking at least ten years off my life, to Mary, whose last name I don't know, but who won a SALTY spirit award and rocked some really cute blue shoes, and to fellow Northstars Carson Daniels and Dino Petrera, who knocked my socks off with their performance of "Sue Me" from Guys and Dolls. (Go stars!)